Almost all of us today rely upon a vast network of individuals to bring us the essentials of life, from the water that runs from our taps to the electricity that powers our refrigerators, to the milk on the top shelf. But few of us know much about, or ever stop to consider, the complicated networks of production, transport, and distribution which stretch invisibly between ourselves as consumers and the people who harvest and supply the products, goods, and services upon which we depend. It seldom occurs to us, for example, that the milk on the top shelf in our refrigerator in suburban Virginia may be the final output of a complex system which begins with a dairy farm in Maryland or Pennsylvania, moves on to a pasteurizing and packaging plant in Delaware, then radiates up and down the East Coast via refrigerated trucks, the Interstate highway arteries, and a spoked, nodal system of refrigerated distribution and delivery centers. Because they are really separate worlds unto themselves, the great and overarching systems which supply us with clean water, abundant electricity, and an endless flow of goods and services are likely to remain a mystery to us.
Much of the transporting is done via tractor trailer units. These tractor trailer units use and store a lot of valuable fuel which thieves may wish to abscond with. It is desirable that a secure locking means be provided to prevent theft of such fuels.
Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in locking fuel cap means art. Among these are:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,944,535 to E. E. White et al describes a cap locking device comprising a structure including two principal members, one a stationary part to be positively secured to a filling tube, and the other a movable part forming a cap for such tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,055 to Arthur F. Connors describes a fuel tank cap cover comprising a base ring secured by a hinge to an annular cover. A pair of cooperating lugs secured to the base ring and to the annular cover, respectively, are provided with aligned holes therein for passage of a padlock which locks the cap cover thereby preventing theft of fuel from the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,888 to James D. Chandler describes a locking gas tank cap comprising a main body having a first and second hinging portion. The first and second hinging portions are hingedly connected with each other and have corresponding mating surfaces surrounding a depression whereby when the mating surfaces are in contact the depressions form a cavity. The cavity completely encompasses the cap and a portion of the spout including a split ring that firmly engages the spout. The split ring being firmly attached to the spout and within the cavity prevents a thief from pulling up on the main body to frictionally engage and twist the cap off by engaging the inside edge of an inwardly extending flange of the main body while the main body is being rotated. The cavity is also tall enough to prevent a thief from pushing down to frictionally engage the cap with the main body. A lock securely holds the first and second hinging portions in a closed position.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a need exists for a reliable fuel cap lock to avoid the above-mentioned problems.